Baker cuts funds for Cambridge emergency food program

Bill Whelan wwhelan@wickedlocal.com @wvwhelan

Friday

Dec 16, 2016 at 4:54 PMDec 16, 2016 at 6:01 PM

Almost 500 of the city’s most vulnerable and impoverished children rely on a local emergency food program for weekend meals. Earlier this month, Gov. Charlie Baker slashed 80 percent of the program’s budget, throwing the future of the program into question.

On Dec. 6, Baker cut $98 million from the $39 billion state budget to alleviate what his administration views as a gap between projected revenue and spending for this year.

Included in those cuts is the $110,000 grant given to Food For Free’s Cambridge Weekend Backpack food program. The grant represents 80 percent of the program’s food budget and 69 percent of the program’s total budget which provides meals to 485 Cambridge students.

“There are so many kids who need this program,” said Alanna Mallon, who founded the Cambridge Weekend Backpack program in 2013. “It’s a critical piece of what kids need to be successful in school. You can’t learn if you’re hungry.”

When students in the program leave school on Friday afternoon, they’re discreetly given a bag, or have one put in their backpacks, containing two lunches, two breakfasts and healthy snacks for the weekend. A letter is sent out to all students at the beginning of the year to opt-in to the program and school teachers and administrators crosscheck those who sign up with the high-risk, food insecure families at the schools.

“We’re targeting the most vulnerable students,” Mallon said.

Mallon, a Cambridge Public Schools parent, started the program in 2013 by giving food to 15 students at one elementary school. The next year she gave meals to 160 kids at six elementary schools and one upper school. For the 2016-2017 school year, 485 students at 12 elementary schools and four upper schools take home food for the weekend.

When Baker was looking to make 9C emergency cuts to the state budget earlier this month, he identified the $110,000 given to the weekend backpack program as money that could be cut. The program first received the $110,00 grant last year, thanks in part to the work of local state Rep. Majorie Decker.

“Marjorie wanted us to not have to rely on fundraising,” Mallon said.

Last year, the $110,000 made up almost all of the program’s $135,000 budget. Despite serving more kids and providing more meals this year, the program received the same amount from the state, or so they thought.

Mallon said the program has already spent $35,000 on food this school year, which will not be reimbursed by the state. She said they were preparing to invoice the state on Dec. 15, but the cuts were announced on Dec. 6.

“This was a devastating blow,” Mallon said.

All hope is not lost, however. Mallon said in the last week alone, $20,000 in community donations have come in to Food For Free, the organization overseeing the backpack program once it got too big for Mallon to handle alone.

Mallon said that the grant money could be replaced by the state Legislature in a supplemental budget, but that even if that were to happen, the program would not see the money until February or March. She said they’re preparing to operate without the grant money.

Even without the state money that makes up nearly its entire budget, kids in need will still be getting weekend meals, Mallon said.

“The program is not in danger of closing down. This is not going to go away,” she said. “This is something we’ve all committed to… the community response has been really heartening. We’re confident that we can make it happen.”

For more information or to donate to the Food for Free Cambridge Weekend Backpack Program, go here.